The difference: The Wildcats fell in an intense, back-and-forth battle, leading by six after the first quarter and at halftime (33-27). But Stuart Hall roared back with the help of touted recruit Armani Collins, who dropped in 26 points with five 3-pointers. Marin Academy clawed to within two scores with two minutes left, but were forced to foul and Knights (12-5, 2-1) widened the margin late from the free-throw line.

From the coach: "The score doesn't represent how close the game was, It was an absolute dogfight the entire game," Marin Academy's Neil Caynan said. "We controlled the tempo throughout the game, but they made two or three more plays than us. This is one of the hardest working teams I have and when we put our best foot forward, we can compete with anyone. It comes down to us."